Can a Saquon Barkley-Kirk Cousins backfield become a Jets reality?

It has been a long time since the New York Jets had one of the best offenses in the NFL, let alone the AFC. With a little bit of aggression — and some luck — they could take a step in the right direction this offseason.

If the Jets find a way to draft star running back Saquon Barkley and sign Kirk Cousins in free agency, it would be a perfect offseason on the offensive side of the ball.

While the Jets will have to break the bank for Cousins, they have the cap space to do so. New York’s ability to land a franchise quarterback this offseason has a direct correlation to Mike Maccagnan’s job security, so expect the general manager to go after Cousins hard.

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If the Jets are lucky enough to win the Cousins sweepstakes, they would be out of the running to draft a quarterback with the No. 6 pick in April. In all likelihood, the Browns, who pick first and fourth, will take a QB with one of the picks. It is possible that the Giants take an arm at No. 2 and the Broncos do the same at No. 5. That will leave a lot of talented players on the board for the Jets. With good fortune, that could include Barkley.

It seems unlikely the Penn State star will still be on the board at No. 6, but experts said the same thing about Jamal Adams last year. Look how that turned out.

Barkley can do it all. A great pure runner, he also has terrific hands out of the backfield, making him a threat no matter where he i. Barkley can also return kicks and punts, an area the Jets have struggled with for years. An underrated part of Barkley’s game is his blocking ability, which is vital for backs in the NFL now with so many quarterbacks taking snaps out of the shotgun set.

While many Jets fans may spend the next few months dreaming about the QB/RB combo of Cousins and Barkley, the dream may actually come true if Mike Maccagnan plays his cards right.

He just needs a little help — and big bucks.

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